Ten Years Later
by PorcupineGirl
Summary: Just another BSC reunion story, told in letters and blog entries.
1. Prologue

deardiary-mas. blogspot. com

Entry for Saturday, May 3, 2003

Dear Diary,

I know I don't talk much about my personal life on here. I like having a public forum for my thoughts, but in reality I'm a very private person and would be pretty horrified if I found out that anyone I know IRL were reading this! So I'm going to keep this as detail-free as possible, but I thought it would be good fodder for comment discussions.

When I was in junior high, my friends and I ran a baby-sitting club. We called it... drumroll please... The Baby-Sitter's Club! :) It was half-business half-social-club. We pretty much did all the babysitting in our sleepy little New England town, and everyone in town knew that they could call up one of our thrice-weekly meetings and get in touch with not one, but anywhere from four to nine potential sitters at once.

This was all the idea of my best friend, K. She is a schemer and a planner and an idea person, and it has definitely served her well in life. Well, she has had another brainstorm - we are going to have a BSC reunion! The BSC broke up ten years ago, when we were all (well, the oldest of us) entering high school. Some of us stayed friends, some of us drifted apart like you do. Some people I'm still in close contact with (but no, they don't know about this blog either, and don't you go telling them!) and some people I'm not even sure where they went to college.

This should be interesting. So tell me, blog-buddies. Have you had a similar blast-from-the-past experience? How did it go? Was it awkward as all hell? Did you reunite with an old flame and now you're happily married with 2.5 kids? Was it the most fun of your life, but now that it's over you haven't seen them since?

I'll admit to being a little nervous about seeing all these girls (maybe one boy? An ex to boot, but I hear he might not make it) again, so tell me your stories.

Oh yeah, and K's other big idea is that each of us write a letter to each of the others. What do you write in a letter to someone you haven't talked to in eight years, and weren't that close to to begin with? Ack!


	2. Claudia to Mary Anne

Dear Mary Anne,

Here I am, dutifully carrying out yet another of Kristy's plots. What can you do? I figured I'd start with you, since this should be the easiest letter to write.

I know you know this, but I just want to thank you yet again for that conversation so many years ago. Transferring to UConn, double majoring in art and education, and becoming a teacher was the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I still think about that night. Six months into my program at the CT College of Fine Art, still a wide-eyed naive dreamer, still convinced that all I'd ever need were my pastels and oils and clay. Then going to that alumni panel, and meeting one of my idols. You know, I _still_ stop by the Stonybrook Public Library when I'm in town to gaze at her sculpture. I promise I'll never drag you there again like I used to when it was first installed, but you have to admit, that is some talent. The dreamy gaze in the girl's eyes as she stares up from her book... Anyhow, you've heard all this before. And here was Ivy Masters, telling me that she was a barista, A BARISTA!! for her day job? That even someone so incredibly talented couldn't live just on what she made from commissions? It was like the bubble of my lifelong dream burst around me.

Now I can laugh about it - calling you up at 11pm, opening the call by bawling "I DON'T WANT TO BE A BARISTA, MARY ANNE!" I can only imagine the look on your face. :) But I made the right call - I'm sure Kristy would have started shooting off one idea after another before I was ready to hear them, and Stacy would have tried to counter my outburst with logic. But you were patient, you listened to my whole story, my whole sobbing story, then you got me to start coming up with ideas on my own. You were my guide that night, Mary Anne, which is exactly what I needed. You asked all the right questions and didn't try to give me any answers. And by the end of the night, I'd come to terms with the fact that even if I couldn't make a living solely from being an artist, it didn't mean that I had to give up my dreams or take a job (BARISTA!!) that wouldn't contribute to those dreams.

And now every day I see teenagers who are just as starry-eyed as I was. And I don't burst their bubble, but I do get them talking. I tell them where my work is being shown, what commissions I've done, and how I market my work. I ask them who has influenced them, what their goals are, and whether they've considered all their options.

I love teaching, I feel like each student is another work of art that I get to contribute to. I might have figured it out eventually without you, but that one night of clarity really gave me a head start. Thanks.

Love Always,

Claudia

P.S. Yes, this is typewritten, it keeps my spelling in line. If Kristy doesn't like it she can kiss my bootie. ;)


	3. Dawn to Mary Anne

Dear Mary Anne,

God, you're such a bitch. I hate you. You suck. And Tigger's not cute.

-Dawn

P.S. Sorry, I just can't take this "assignment" seriously. Kristy, as always, is insane.

P.P.S. I hate Maine. I hate Maine. I hate Maine. I hate Maine enough that I no longer have any desire to study lobsters. I think this fall I'm going to apply to Marine Bio PhD programs - IN FLORIDA! I'm sure there are tropical crabs that are far more interesting than lobsters anyhow. Don't tell mom and Richard yet, I want to surprise them, I don't think mom ever thought I'd get around to grad school.

P.P.P.S. I LOVE YOU, SIS! Can't wait to see you!

* * *

calichick. livejournal. com

5-19-03, 6:23pm

Why is it still cold? It's May. Even when I lived in CT it wasn't cold anymore in May. This state is insane. Luckily, after working in this lab for two years I finally have some vaca time saved up and soon enough I'll be using it to reconnect with the Ghosts of Summers Past. First a week in CT with my mom and old, old, old friends, and then back to the Bay to be a real beach bum with my Berkeley buddies.

The only awkward thing will be seeing some of those old old old friends... Because I wasn't exactly friends with all of them the last time we spoke. I'm still in touch with most of them (or at least hear about them via my stepsister), but there's one girl in particular that things will be kinda awkward with. It's a ridiculously silly high school thing, and I am sure that we have all let it go and moved on, but I might need to do some extra yoga that morning to make sure I stay centered... _just in case_ she's feeling feisty. I'm sure it'll be fine, though.


	4. Kristy and Stacey

Dear Kristy,

First, thanks for starting the BSC, thanks for making me feel welcome when I moved to Connecticut, and thanks for organizing this reunion! Since my mom moved back to NYC I haven't had an excuse to get out to Stoneybrook again, it'll be so much fun to see everyone!

Ok, this is going to sound kind of cheesy, but here it goes. I don't know why I've never told anyone this - probably because I was afraid they _would_ find it cheesy, since it's not like he's my brother. But I figured if I was going to tell anyone, it should be you. The truth is, the main reason I decided to go to medical school is because of David Michael, and even though I'm not to the point of choosing a specialty yet, I've always planned to go into pediatric oncology.

When I heard he was sick, I was in the middle of a lot of confusion about what I was going to do with my life. We were all just starting the college application process, and it was making me think a lot about careers and what would make me happy and what impact I wanted to have on the world. Reconnecting with your family, helping to take care of him, and seeing the difference that his doctors and nurses made - for all of you, not just him - was really inspirational. And even though everything was okay in the end, I couldn't believe the hell he had to go through to get there. No child should have to go through that just to stay alive. I know, I'm not going to be the one to come up with some magical cure for cancer. But maybe I can make some small improvement - save a few lives that would have been lost, keep a few kids from dealing with such debilitating side effects - and that would be enough. I know that a lot of people had to work for decades to get diabetes treatment to the point where I've been able to live my life with only the most minor impact from the disease so far - I want to help get leukemia closer to that point.

I guess I just thought you should know. See you soon!

Sincerely,  
Stacey

* * *

Hey Stacey,

I know we're not best friends, and we don't talk much these days. But in case you didn't know, I wanted to tell you how much it meant to my family to have you around senior year.

I'll admit, it was a total surprise. It's not like I didn't like you anymore, but we had definitely drifted apart, y'know? We sure didn't hang out anymore, and I'm not sure we'd said two words to each other all junior year. So when you showed up at our door only days after we'd started telling people the news, I really didn't know what to think. But you were such a help. I think that Mary Anne and Claud were actually a bit too close to the situation to help out in the ways that you did - taking the younger kids out when they (or we!) needed a break, tutoring David Michael in math when he was feeling up to it. It was like every time we all became too emotionally exhausted to deal, you'd show up and take off a little of the pressure. Karen especially really looked up to you, she still asks what you're up to all the time - remind me to give you her new email address, she's going away to college at Brown this fall. She would LOVE to hear from you!

He's doing great, by the way. Healthy as a horse and majoring in history at UConn, still doing all the drama clubs he can find (he's thinking about a theater minor just for fun).

Oh, gotta cut this short, Mia's up from her nap. You'll love her, Stacey, for a two-year-old she is such the little fashion plate. I think when they finally let me enroll her in the sports leagues around here, I might have to talk them into letting her play in a skirt! I don't see why they won't take her, I had a two-year-old on the Krushers. And she has really got a throwing arm!

Yours Truly,  
Kristy


	5. Blog Interlude

dakrushblog. blogspot. com

Got SO much done today. Took the day off from TSC, Inc - who knew the way to be productive is to not work? Reserved bbq space for upcoming reunion. Emailed everyone to remind them to write letters, what to bring for potluck. Checked out five daycares for Mia - two, no way; one, eh; one, eh-plus; one, awesome but waiting list, of course. Took Mia to ped for earaches, got meds. Paid bills, made some phone calls for homeowner's assoc. Got to find someone to mow lawn by pool & tennis courts, company we used last year went under.

Claud, can you watch Mia Thursday night for HOA meeting?

Comments

From: artsplat  
Sure, no prob! Murel Club after school, but i'll be home by 5:30.

From: dakrushblog  
Stop by at 6 would be perfect. Thanks, totally owe you one!

* * *

artsplat. blogspot. com

I've gotta post pics of the murel my kids are working on at school. Its inspiring - it has a dozen famous conneticuttans. Conecticuttians? Connecticuters? Oh my lord, you know what i mean. People from the same state as us. Noah Webster (the dictionary guy) is one of them, I need his help! Anyhow, its pretty cool to think of these people starting out in the same towns as us, and doing such great things. Gives me hope for my art yet.

Does anyone know why it doesn't like the word murel? I tried muril, that doesn't work either. WTF?

Comments

From: dakrushblog  
That's b/c it's mural.

From: artsplat  
Ohhhhhhh. Thx!

* * *

tresmal. deadjournal. com

So back in high school, I royally screwed up.

Screw up the first: Getting involved with a friend's sibling.

Screw up the second: Thinking I could deal with a long distance relationship at the age of 16.

Screw up the third: Thinking that breaking up without ever saying the words "I think we should break up" was a perfectly fine idea.

Screw up the fourth, in which our heroine brings screw ups numbers one through three to a head: Starting to date someone new _while friend's sibling a long way away still thinks we're dating_.

And now, dear readers, after five long years of managing to avoid all involved parties, our heroine must face the music.

Do you think I should get a monroe first? 


	6. Kristy to Mary Anne

** AN: So I just reread _Friends Forever: Graduation Day_ and realized they made a pact for a reunion twelve years later. Which doesn't really make as much sense as ten years, since ten years is when Mallory & Jessi are graduating from college. I think I am going to stick with this timeline, though, rather than go back and change the stories to be told two years later. Maybe Kristy got impatient waiting for the pact time - Kristy? Impatient? Never!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! If you notice any other continuity errors please let me know - I stopped reading BSC books when I got to high school, which means I haven't really read anything past the mid-70s. I'm still not sure if I'm going to include Abby in this b/c I've never actually read a book focused on her, so I don't know much about her. We'll see. **

* * *

Hey Mary Anne,

My oldest and bestest pal! I wasn't sure what to write that I haven't already said to you, so I decided to go through a Greatest Hits list of memorable moments in our friendship:

- My dad leaving. I think that was when we went from being neighbors who played together a lot to really being best friends, bonding over having a missing parent.

- That pizza we made (maybe made is a strong word... attempted?) at Claudia's sleepover in the fourth grade! I was so pissed that my idea for a crust recipe didn't work out (I guess I hadn't heard of yeast yet?), until you talked me down by pointing out that even if the crust were okay, Claud's gummi worms hadn't exactly baked so well.

- Starting the BSC - duh.

- The Kristy vs Dawn wars - looking back, I was such a ridiculous kid, feeling threatened. I know you'd never leave me - b/c I could totally take you if you tried. ;)

- Both of us gaining stepfamilies and moving away from Bradford Ct. When I think back to middle school, other than BSC stuff that's mostly what sticks out. It was really a time of change for both of us, and we stuck together.

- The big freshman year fight. Ugh. What was WRONG with us, Mary Anne? I was all antsy from lack of BSC, for some reason I just couldn't deal with the fact that you'd joined a club I wasn't in. Dumb frosh.

- Followed by our big sophomore year makeovers. Um. I think the less said about that period, the better. If I ever even think about going blonde again, you have full permission to smack me.

- David Michael getting sick. You were the only person that I let see me cry that whole time.

- Heading to UConn together as roomies!

- Trying to smuggle Tigger into our dorm room. Ok, that goes with the makeovers as one of our dumbest moments. Poor cat.

- Getting our first apartment together with Claudia after she transferred. We were so lucky to have you there, Mary Anne - I'm not as messy as Claudia, but you had definitely thought of things that we never would have. What? We need to buy a toilet brush and a plunger? Dish soap runs out? Huh?

- Your big breakup with cheating-bastard-Mark. I will never admit to anything, but whoever _did_ put those laxatives in that ho's protein bars should win an award.

- Of course, the biggies (in my mind) - finding out I was pregnant two months after getting engaged, and with a whole semester of college left.

- Followed by, of course, Ron-the-ass breaking off the engagement four months later. What? Kristin Amanda Thomas was NOT destined to be a 21-year-old single mother! That's not how the plan works! And you had to leave for grad school right after she was born! Not that I begrudge you that - how could I possibly be upset that you went to _Yale_? And at least it's not too far. It was just that the timing was so perfectly bad. But I was amazed at how much you managed to be there for me even though we didn't live in the same town anymore, for the first time ever in our lives.

You are seriously the best best friend I could ask for, Mary Anne. I know for a fact that I could not have gotten TSC off the ground while caring for Mia if you hadn't been so supportive and behind me 100 percent.

So that's about that. Looking forward to the reunion! So much to do before then!

Love,  
Kristy

* * *

officialblog. thomas-sports-camps. com

June 1: **New Camps Announcement**

Hey, Campers!

I hope you're all gearing up for a great summer with Thomas Sports Camps! We're proud to announce the opening of two more camps, including our first camp outside the great state of Connecticut! In addition to our Stoneybrook and New Haven locations, this summer we will be welcoming campers in Hartford, CT and Providence, Rhode Island! The new camps will both be offering softball, volleyball, swimming, and diving.

Remember, all of our camps offer the following options:

- One-week half-day camps for 2-4 year olds

- One- or two-week day camps for 5-8 year olds

- Two-week overnight camps for 9-12 year olds

Head on over to the registrations page to get a spot now! Camps start July 1, and space is running out. If you are 13-21 and would like to sign up to be a counselor-in-training, a counselor, or a supervisor, check out our jobs page.

We also have another exciting announcement for you to look forward to - this fall, our Stoneybrook and New Haven camps will be offering five-week weekend soccer daycamps! Stay tuned for more details.

Can't wait to see you all this summer - this will be Mia's first time as an official camper at the Stoneybrook camp, and I will definitely be coming around personally to see how things are going at _all_ the camps.

- Kristy Thomas  
President and CEO, Thomas Sports Camps, Inc.


	7. Stacey and Claudia

My Dearest Claudia,

Look at us, grown women and still we do Kristy's bidding. I haven't even seen her in... Wow, I guess not since you guys road-tripped it to Chicago for my graduation! Six months pregnant and hard as nails, that one. I'm guessing we'll all be 80 years old and in a nursing home together, and when she says it's time to play bridge we'll all drop what we're doing!

Anyhow, I am SO glad to be back in NYC now. Not just because I missed the city either (Chicago's great, but Second City just isn't Broadway, y'know?) - because it has been SO GREAT to get to see you so often! You are simply the best shopping partner a girl can have, in the best shopping city in the universe, what more can I ask for? I'm sorry it's been so long since I've come to visit you - without mom nagging me to come home every couple of months, I've really been remiss. You obviously need to nag me more, girl! But hey, if you're happy with the monthly bus ride, I won't complain. ;)

Ok, so, by the time you read this I'm guessing you'll have seen me, so you'll _probably_ already know this... Hm, maybe I can keep it a secret... Anyhow, just in case I've managed to keep the surprise, I'll tell you here...

.

.

.

Here it comes...

.

.

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Are you ready to scream??

.

.

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... Okay, it's on the back of the page! (I'm so sneaky)

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... Jerry and I are getting married!!

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Are you done screaming yet? Ms Maid of Honor?

.

Ok, are you done screaming again now?

Well, I guess there's not much more I can say to top that! We're hoping for next summer. Not sure where exactly, since his family is in New Hampshire. We'll figure it out!

Okay, I'll end this now so I can tell you the whole story of the proposal, etc. Can't wait to see you!

Love,  
Stacey

* * *

Dear Stacey,

Ok, I typped my last letter, but because your my bestie best girl I'm going to handwright this one - watch out for my speling!

Stace, you don't know how much I missed having you around in colledge. Mary Anne and Kristy are great, their my oldest friends and I love them and they have relly been ther for me. But they just arn't you! I just cant be quit as "Claudia" with them as I am with you, and they will never be the kind of shopahallics we are! You and me, we are a forse to be wreckinned with!

So I think Im going to use this letter to run an idea by you that Ive been thinking about for a wile now. Like I said, Ive been thinking this way for a wile, but I think it is nerly time to put my plan into acton... I think that after this school year, Im going to look for a new teaching job in New York! Im having some sucsess with my art, and I think I can step it up by moving to the big city. Plus, I'm yong - when I'm married and have kids Ill probbably want to rase them back in Stoneybrook, or nearbie. I have to take a chanse and try out soemwhere new while I can! Live life to the fulest!

So what do you think? Wanna be full time partners in crime? Ill have to check that my lisensiure (um, you know, my thing that let's me teach) will work in New York, diferent states have different laws. But I think itll be fine! Ive lived in Connetticut all my life, I am ready for a change in seanery!

Okay, well, I will see you soon and we can talk about it mor then. What am I talking about, if you are readding this then I am right there! Duh!

Love,  
Claudia


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